Water Scarcity and Institutional Reform in Southern Africa

Abstract

The situation in Southern Africa with regard to water scarcity is particularly acute. Southern Africa has historically been an area of extreme tension in the wake of post-colonial exploitation and the delineation of boundaries for countries that often defy ethnic differences. It is also a region that has endured economic disparities of an extreme kind, ranging from the despicable practice of apartheid to the development disparities caused by differing resource endowments. Some countries, particularly those north of the Zambezi River, are faced with a tough choice of whether or not to use water for their own uses or to succumb to the economic carrot offered by the diamond-rich countries of South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. Environmental criteria are often the losers in such bargains, along with underprivileged tribal populations. This article documents the current water management regimes in the Southern African subcontinent and explores the possibility of establishing a Southern African Water Authority (SAWA), which would be the first regional water authority of its kind in Africa. Most previous efforts in regional cooperation have looked at riparian usage and have thus resulted in river basin authorities. However, the complexity of water usage, particularly groundwater exploitation, necessitates the establishment of a more broad-based regional institution. Such an institution would hopefully avert any potential conflicts over water resources in the region.